Wow! Way off the topic here! Was the person asking about lobsters or terrorism? I came in 2002 right before the war and yes there was alot of attacks on Westerners and I heard on the embassy though it may be gossip. There was no particular hotspot. Some consultants were shot coming out of a military camp, some military men were shot while training on one of the islands, the orphanage next to my school in Salwa had a volunteer who shot someone-though I don't remember if it was a military or civilian target. Someone young boys were lobbing molitov cocktails at Western apartments and were caught in the act. Last year the embassy sent out a notice that some men in a car had attacked a Westerner which lead to a sweep in the Fahaheel area. But in general, it is one of the safest countries for you to work in, I haven't heard of many attcks since the war and certainly they are not in one particular city and are not frequent. I hope that's helpful.

Manghaf is fine. I live in Mahboula, which neighbours Mangaf. Mangaf is closer to Fahaheel, which has a decent, if busy, mall, a Sultan Centre (the best grocery store for western goods), and some decent and interesting shopping. It's not too terrorist-y, although I've heard that too. Good deals on gold at some of the shops in Fahaheel though. In Mangaf, you have the Sultan Centre wholesale store, which is pretty decent, some other shops in strip malls, and the Hilton Resort, where most teachers have memberships. There's a gym, an outdoor path, and a private beach and swimming pool there, as well as a Starbucks and other restaurants. Someone mentioned Salmiya. It's closer to downtown and the main souk areas (and has the best Sultan Centre in my opinion) as well as the most popular mall in Kuwait (and if you are getting the idea that shopping is a big part of the lifestyle, you are right), but it is gridlocked for traffic in the evenings and on weekends. I find the Fintas/Mahboula/Mangaf area fairly acceptable. The main problem I have with it here is that there is too much traffic and too many interested men to make going for a walk or bike ride fun. I usually wind up at the Hilton, often with all the other single women.